England’s best hope of success in this series may just be the Aussie selectors, whose maverick approach to the task knows no bounds.

In any normal selection, handing 34-year-old Shaun Marsh his 712th Test recall at the age of 34 after decreeing Ed Cowan (35), George Bailey (35) and Cameron White (34) too old and decrepit to merit selection would have taken the prize. But the selection of Tim Paine, who couldn’t get into the Tasmania team until parachuted in as a specialist batsman last week, as wicketkeeper is a belter. The comedy bar has been raised, and the first Test is still days away.

The “independent media arm” of Cricket Australia have all the details on both selections, though, with a tub-thumping Paine putting concerns to rest with an inspirational call to arms as the independent media arm of the governing body landed a coup in securing an exclusive interview with the returning gloveman.

“I’m enjoying playing cricket again, which is the main part,” Paine roared. “Four-day cricket has been a bit of a struggle for me in the past few years.”

But what of Marsh? Well Trevor Hohns is on hand to confirm that Marsh’s selection on the back of a Shield average this season of 39 with no hundreds is proof that the panel won’t accept “mediocre” performances.

Gone Sledgin’

Brad Haddin was known as a fierce competitor and world-class sledger in his day, so it was exciting to hear what he would be saying to England’s rookie captain Joe Root were it he rather than T-Paine behind the timbers in Brisbane.

“If I was behind the stumps & Root came out to bat,” Haddin told one of those blokey radio shows that they seem to enjoy so much Down Under, “I’d say to him ‘Deep down everyone wants Cook captain, you know it & I know it, so let’s get on with it.’”

Hmm. Even allowing for the fact that this is obviously the radio edit of Haddin’s sledge, it’s hard to imagine any number of swears covering up for the fact that literally nobody up to and including Alastair Cook himself wants Cook to be captain.

Quote of the week

“I don’t really know what ‘targeting the captain’ is, but we’ll be targeting every one of them so bring it on.” Joe Root takes punchy aim at the cornerstone of literally every Australia Ashes masterplan in living memory.